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Dickie Brennan's Oyster Pan Roast

Source of Recipe

From "Southern Appetizers" by Denise Gee


Recipe Introduction

"In my mind, the name Dickie Brennan—or just about any Brennan, for that matter—connotes comfort food. (This is a New Orleans family who can cook, folks.) After enjoying these divine, silky, creamy, cheesy oysters one evening at Palace Café, I was hooked. Another good excuse to make this: Why not get those oyster plates you might have hanging on the wall and actually use them? This would be well worth it."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ ¼ cup fine, dry bread crumbs
â—¦ 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
â—¦ 1 tablespoon butter, softened
â—¦ Four 2-inch slices French bread
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon salt
â—¦ â…› teaspoon ground black pepper
â—¦ 2 cups heavy whipping cream
â—¦ 1 small shallot, chopped
â—¦ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus 4 fresh rosemary sprigs
â—¦ â…› teaspoon ground white pepper
â—¦ 20 "select" (high-quality) oysters, shucked and drained
â—¦ Chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley for garnish


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese; set aside.

Spread the butter on one side of each bread slice. Combine â…› teaspoon of the salt and the black pepper and sprinkle over the butter. Place the bread slices, buttered-side up, on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned and crisp. Set aside (or cover and store in an airtight container for up to two days).

Preheat the broiler.

In a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, stir to combine the cream and shallot and bring to a boil, stirring often. Cook until reduced to 1 cup (about 15 minutes), stirring often. Stir in the remaining â…› teaspoon salt, the chopped rosemary, and white pepper. Add the oysters and cook until the edges of the oysters begin to curl, about 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat. (Cut any large oysters in half or into thirds.) Sprinkle the oyster mixture with the bread crumb mixture. Broil the oysters 3 inches from the heat until the bread crumbs are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

Spear a rosemary sprig through each toasted bread slice; place an herbed bread slice in each of four individual shallow bowls. Spoon the oyster mixture around the bread. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Serves 4